Ella Jinadu

What’s better than a stay-cation? A stay-cation involving a spa, of course. If you’re looking for a bit of well-earned R&R to get away from it all, the UK is brimming with top quality spas and wellness centres to help you wind down. Hot tubs to soothe aching muscles? Check. A facial to cleanse tired skin? Yup. A deep-tissue massage to sort out all of that tension from being bent over a computer all day? Sounds good to us.  From glorious country houses to trailblazing eco-spas, lake view hot tubs and city centre hideaways, this country has it all. Don’t know where to start? Our editors have been out and about, trying and testing spas to sort the good from the fantastic. Now, all you need to do is lay out your comfy clothes and hit the road. And… breathe.  Recommended: the best wellbeing and yoga retreats in the UKRecommended: the cosiest cabins and log cabins in the UK

Well, we ate a hell of a lot this year, didn’t we? As always, London got a whole load of brand-new restaurants, so we’ve been a little bit spoilt for choice for seriously good food. But if you’re anything like us, there’s a few dishes you just can’t shut up about. Here at Time Out, we’ve rounded up every fantastic thing we feasted on in 2023, so you can get out there and try ’em for yourself. You’ll find everything from Speedboat Bar’s insanely hot curry to Mount St’s cheese and haddock omelette. It’s spicy, it’s chewy, it’s saucy, and it’s right here for your viewing (and eating) pleasure. Here are the best things we ate this year.  RECOMMENDED:😜 The best restaurants in London🎶 The best new albums of 2023🎤 The best new songs of 2023🎧 The best podcasts of 2023

I moved to this city in the deep, dark depths of the pandemic. My first flat was, obviously, awful. The landlord was dodgy (shock). It was full of mold. The shower was next to the kitchen and had no door. Still, though, I look back on those days fondly. One rare sunny afternoon we climbed out of my flatmate’s window to sit on the roof, drinking homemade Bloody Marys and blasting the Bad Boy Chiller Crew from a box speaker into the sticky, polluted air of Kingsland Road. We got quite a few glares from passers-by, but also a fair amount of smiles.  Whether you’re moving here for study, work, family, or another reason, your first months in London will be challenging, but you’ll probably look back on them with such fogged-up rose-tinted glasses it will hardly matter anyway. Use this time to meet as many new people as you can and to make mistakes. Be broke, go to M&M world (don’t actually), get lost on the tube. That said, there are some things I wish I’d known before coming here. Hindsight is a blessing, as they say. But we’re not gatekeepers, so we asked Time Out staff to share their top tricks and tips for anyone moving to the capital. Some of these folks have been born and bred here. Others are adopted Londoners, like you might well be one day. Listen up, take note, and good luck. 

What’s the deal with Moddershall Oaks Spa? There’s something refreshing about a spa that doesn’t take the more dogmatic aspects of ‘wellness’ too seriously. At Moddershall Oaks Spa in Staffordshire, you can certainly count on being pampered, preened, and pruned without ever feeling like you’re denying yourself life’s finer pleasures. The outdoor heated vitality pool is more ‘glass of prosecco please”’rather than detox juice and a vitamin D tablet.  And if R&R accompanied by a Hugo Spritz is what you’re after, Moddershall Oaks more than delivers. Rooms were plush, robes were oh-so-soft and you got to enjoy the novelty of shuffling from the treatment room to the hydrotherapy pool to the sleep lounge in a pair of flip-flops. It’s fair to say we fully renounced closed-toe living for the duration of our visit. Oh, and the heating was on everywhere, all the time. We arrived on a freezing January weekend, and it felt like a real indulgence to swan around in our swimwear without worrying about the cold.  Treatments to book We were lucky enough to enjoy the Calibrate massage as part of our stay. As with most spas, you can tailor the treatment to your fancy, including pressure and whether you want to engage in small talk. At £90 for 50 minutes, the massage feels spenny, but it’s worth it if you’re staying one or two nights. If you’re just coming for the day, your purse will thank you for choosing a good long soak in the hydrotherapy pool instead.  What about food and drink? Dinner cons